


On His Own

by Cornerofmadness



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 12:23:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20778524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: Connor has no need of Angel or his friends.





	On His Own

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer ** \- So not mine. All characters belong Joss Whedon
> 
> **Author’s Note** \- This is a comment_fic written for the sharpiesgal for the prompt “Any, any, Welcome to the Jungle.” Some of the lyrics appear as dialogue.

Connor tracked the scent of food to a Dumpster. If nothing else, this time being homeless in this harsh world he had the benefit of the knowledge Gunn and Fred had given him. He knew Dumpsters weren’t for eating out of but people in this world wasted so much. That crap wouldn’t fly in Quor-Toth. Angel should have realized that. Did he think throwing Connor out would make him run back, tail between his legs and beg for help?

To hell with that and with his father. He hadn’t become the Destroyer, one of the most feared creatures in the darkest of the dark realms only to run scared on the streets of L.A.. Connor scowled. Someone had beaten him to this Dumpster behind some restaurant he hadn’t bothered to get the name of. What did it matter to him anyhow? The man at the Dumpster had grey hair, long and stringy. In a way he reminded Connor of Father, the only one he wanted, the one who wasn’t a horrible monster. 

The old man eyed him warily. “This is mine,” he said but Connor didn’t think the old guy could get into it.

“If I get the food out of there, want to share it?” he asked.

The old man stared as if he wasn’t quite seeing Connor. “You’re more spry than me but you’d better hurry. Too many around here wouldn’t bother to help. They’d shove an old fart like me out of the way. It gets worse here every day, I swear.”

Connor grunted, non-committal. He’d yet to find much that was actually bad around here, nothing like what Quor-Toth served up daily. He jumped up on the lip of the Dumpster in one move, making the old guy whistle low. He handed down tons of half cut, a little wrinkly veggies and a bunch of burritos that must have been cooked and not eaten. They were little. 

“Buffets always have the best leftovers,” the old guy said handing up a couple of empty grocery bags. 

Connor filled them and jumped down, handing them all over to the man. “You pick what you want.”

He smiled. “You’re a good kid. You got a place to crash?”

Connor shook his head.

“You come with me. I’m Aaron.”

“Connor.”

“Come on. We’ll split this. I have a good place to crash. I’ll teach you how to find one of your own.” Aaron snorted. “Never thought it would come to this. I fought and bled in Nam, but no one cares about that. Hell, they go to Nam on vacation these days which is better than what I was forced to do.”

He had no clue what Aaron was on about, so he made a soft sound to indicate he was listening.

“Ya learn to live like an animal out here.” Aaron took stock of Connor as they turned a corner toward some dilapidated buildings. “What’s a young buck like you doing out here?”

“Dad threw me out.”

“Terrible. Why?”

“I wasn’t the son he wanted.”

Aaron raised an eyebrow. “You gay?”

Connor wasn’t sure what that meant so he shook his head. “He’s an evil creature and I’m not.”

“Good boy. It’s right through here.”

Aaron led him into the empty building, which would be out of the elements and relatively quiet. They divided the food and ate. Connor couldn’t help grinning. Another night where he was safe and fed and proving he didn’t need Angel and his band of friends. He was never running back to them. If Angel wanted to speak to him again, let his dad come to him. He’d see that Connor had no need of him and that pleased Connor to no end.


End file.
